- Third straight overseas auction for the IPL
- Franchises must submit retentions by November 15
- Major trades already shaking up the 2026 season
The IPL confirmed that the 2026 player auction will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, marking the league’s third consecutive overseas auction.
The shift abroad began in 2024 with Dubai, followed by the 2025 mega auction in Jeddah. Next year’s event will follow the usual one-day mini-auction format.
Franchises have until 3 PM IST on November 15 to finalise their retain-and-release lists for the 2025 squads. From there, they will receive the full registered player pool, narrow it down, and allow the IPL to finalise the official auction list.
The trading window remains open until a week before the auction and will reopen afterwards until one month before the 2026 season, though players bought at the 2026 auction cannot be traded.
The tentative window for IPL 2026 is set from March 15 to May 31.
